CRIPtic Arts are delighted to announce that we’re now supported by Youth Music’s Shift the Scene Fund, which champions inclusive, ambitious creativity across all art forms. This support means more time, space and resources to co-create bold creative work with Disabled young people, not as an add-on, but by design.
Youth Music, the UK’s leading young people’s music charity, has today announced the recipients of a £2.25 million fund – Shift the Scene – designed to improve access to the arts and creative education for Disabled children and young people. As a result of this, CRIPtic Arts has been awarded a grant to provide creative opportunities for Disabled children and young people over 4 years, helping to ‘shift the scene’ by creating spaces where Disabled voices lead. CRIPtic Arts is one of 13 organisations nationwide selected, from 150 submissions.
What will we be doing with this funding?
Over the next year, we’ll be working closely with four young disabled creatives with high physical access needs, supporting two writers and two directors to develop paid new work. We anticipate all four being wheelchair users, as wheelchair users face specific barriers in the theatre industry, and plan to reach out specifically to young people with more significant physical access requirements.
Writers will develop new scripts, and directors will shape the artistic vision for staging them. All participants will receive a programme of workshops on creative craft, accessible theatre-making, rehearsal methodologies, and navigating the industry as a disabled adult. They’ll lead rehearsals and build industry skills through tailored workshops, 1:1 mentoring and a fully accessible creative process, transitioning into paid roles after the programme.
More to follow… Watch this space.
Read what CRIPtic Arts Artistic Director, Jamie Hale, has to say about this exciting new venture:
As a wheelchair user, I know the barriers wheelchair users, specifically, face in the theatre world. One of the main routes into theatre is via the pub theatres, the basement studios, and the ‘grabbing every opportunity’, but so many of those options don’t have wheelchair access to start with.
As any disabled person knows, it’s not just the physical barriers we all face, it’s the attitudes, the presumed incompetence, the belief that we don’t have anything unique, creative, and valuable to offer to the theatre world.
This programme is designed to turn that on its head and work with two young people with high access needs who want to write for theatre, supporting these emerging writers in completing their first play, which would then be directed by one of the two young people who have high access needs and want to direct for theatre.
In this way, we make space each year for these young people to hone their craft while working with a well-known organisation, with recognition and pay on industry terms. This is designed to replace the unpaid opportunities that are so often offered with no focus on actual career direction and the inaccessible opportunities that so often reject us.
This programme is focused on young people aged 18-30 who have high access needs, and especially wheelchair users, because CRIPtic has a specific area of expertise here, and we are seeing a specific gap that needs a programme to fill it.
We are so excited to start working with this group of people, and to broaden the opportunities available to a group so often marginalised in the sector.
Carol Reid, Youth Music Interim Co-CEO, said: “Unfortunately the arts sector is still failing Disabled young people. Although our Excluded by Design report charts some good practice, there is still lots of work to do. We’re tackling this head-on through this £2.25million fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery funding via Arts Council England. Crucially, Shift the Scene will provide long-term investment to equalise access and help create lasting change.”
About CRIPtic Arts
CRIPtic Arts is a disabled-led arts organisation creating an artistic landscape where disabled people can flourish. Since its inception in 2019, CRIPtic has undergone a rapid period of expansion, growing from one development programme and show in a year to five shows, four development programmes and a community programme in 2024, alongside research, development and campaign work. Made up of disabled cultural workers, we work with other disabled people engaging with the arts – whether for fun, connection, employment or career development – whilst working to revolutionise accessibility across the cultural sector through consulting, training and campaigning.
We’ve established ourselves as a leading voice in the disability arts sector. In 2022-23, we were recognised as one of the 25 most influential disabled-led organisations in the UK, reaching over 1,000 disabled people through our workshops and programmes. By 2023-24, our impact grew further, with over 1,200 disabled individuals directly engaged, alongside numerous successful partnerships and performances across the UK. We’ve since been recognised by the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 as a highly commended disability small employer, in addition to our artistic director, Jamie Hale, being on the DP100 list for 3 years in a row.
About Youth Music
Equalising access to music
We’re a national charity. We help marginalised young people to make and monetise music. Every year, we raise £10 million to fund inspirational grassroots music projects and support aspiring young creatives up and down the UK. We’re campaigning to break down barriers for young people facing inequity, exclusion and discrimination. Together with our partners, we’re helping the next generation to transform their lives through music. Join Us.
Youth Music is a national charity funded thanks to the National Lottery via Arts Council England, players of the Postcode Lottery and support from partners, fundraisers and donors.
